Do you wear protection?

**Asclepio** · 20-11-2020, 00:48

Re: Do you wear protection?

Almost never, when I feel the balloon is dangerously overinflated I just extend the hand that is holding the balloon around my face (to avoid a big piece of latex hitting my eyes) and keep blowing.

**LoonerJeff** · 20-11-2020, 01:13

Re: Do you wear protection?

Damn man, I aspire to become that brave! I can do no clothes or eye protection with most balloons under 24", but anything bigger I am always wearing more clothes and saftely glasses. I ALWAYS wear earplugs, but the boom is the best part to me! I'd have a heart attack before I'd be able to pop it without ear protection haha

**LoonerHoax** · 20-11-2020, 01:55

Re: Do you wear protection?

Pants?

I usually just close my eyes when doing blow to pop. If I'm purposely riding/sitting to pop, I make sure I have shorts/pants on to assist with welt protection. That's it.

When I was still working, I was able to have sessions late at night and on weekends when on the clock. For those I would lay down a couple layers of 1" carpet padding over the concrete floor. One instance of breaking my tail bone when a way overinflated 24" Belbal decided to pop after using it as a chair for over 20 minutes and that carpet padding became a necessity!

**LoonerJeff** · 20-11-2020, 09:42

Re: Do you wear protection?

Happens to the best of us mate! I've been lucky enough to avoid anything serious, but I've damn near cracked my head open once or twice riding some of the bigger ones haha

**wildheart** · 20-11-2020, 09:54

Re: Do you wear protection?

Usually it’s just ear plugs. If I’m going to be intentionally blowing to pop on camera then I’ll sometimes use my forced b2p mask.

**Looner_runner** · 20-11-2020, 11:41

Re: Do you wear protection?

I also tend to use earplugs most of the time if there is a risk of popping, it just feels safer that way. I wear glasses in normal life and if those stay on I know my eyes are safe, sometimes they aren't on just because they are in the way for other reasons and then I try not to have the balloon hitting my face just in case. Better safe than sorry

**LoonerJeff** · 20-11-2020, 12:05

Re: Do you wear protection?

I swear... all these peeps swearing they play without earplugs think they're so cool... and they're correct! Hahaha

I was under the impression that most people at least use earplugs, but I guess they just love getting hit by those ear-piercing booms too much, love it!

**LoonerHoax** · 20-11-2020, 15:31

Re: Do you wear protection?

Loud doesn't bother me. A little ringing for a minute or 2 after a pop is acceptable to me. The bigger the space you are in, the less of an impact the pop will have on your ears. Blow to pop a Q24 in your car? Gonna ring your ears for a bit. Doing it in a large room? Not going to be as bad. I've done a lot worse to my ears lol.

**LondonLarry** · 20-11-2020, 16:25

Re: Do you wear protection?

Me? nothing. If I ever see a lady at a brothel or massage shop they more often than not cram toilet roll into their ears. The jury is out on whether that's becasue of the loud POP! or so they can't hear the shit coming out of my mouth "Oh you are so beautiful etc etc"...

**seattlelurker** · 20-11-2020, 19:51

Re: Do you wear protection?

While I do without from time to time (either necessity or when the mood hits me), I typically wear both eye and ear protection. I work in a hands-on profession (fabricator and motorsports mechanic), and am well educated about occupational hazards. Doesn't mean that I am a safety freak; sometimes life necessitates that you live a little dangerously to get things done, and I am covered with enough scars and burns to prove it. But I do value my eyesight and hearing as necessities of my career, and I have balloon sessions often enough (typically 24"-36" balloons burst almost exclusively by b2p, so that's high-potential-energy pops very close to your face) that it's regular exposure just like at work. If I am smart enough to (mostly

) wear ear, eye, and respiratory protection while metalworking during normal life, then it's an easy habit to grab protection for such regular balloon popping activity. Just like for work, it's a matter of safeguarding senses that I rely on for my livelihood. I'm probably in greater risk of losing an eye from a cutting disc exploding on a grinder, but either way even temporary sight damage could significantly impact my professional future... and I'd feel pretty stupid and embarrassed to admit if it was from a balloon.

On the flip side, I almost never worry about bodily protection with balloons (lots of times an unlubricated condom is my only attire)... I guess that with enough burns and cuts from work over the years, a couple of small welts certainly don't scare me!

At the end of the day, it's cumulative exposure... I don't worry about ear protection for fireworks, because that's really just maybe once a year. I wear gloves when working every day but don't wear body protection during balloon sessions because I don't worry about a freak incident losing a digit from an overinflated balloon (

). But if I'm going to be working in the metal industry every day, I try to find a reasonable way to curb the exposure risks for myself. If I'm going to have regular, close-proximity balloon popping in my life (probably average once a week for the past 25 years?) then I find no shame in taking similar precautions. Maybe the rest of you just aren't popping often enough

**LoonerJeff** · 20-11-2020, 22:32

Re: Do you wear protection?

I totally see where you're coming from - I was a welder for about 2 years, and I've got burns from slag or spatter all along my upper arms. Every day was safety glasses and earplugs cause as you know, you do some fairly dangerous stuff when metalworking. Guess OSHA indoctrinated me so hard now I suit up just to loon haha

**Meililoon** · 20-11-2020, 22:38

Re: Do you wear protection?

I always wear earplugs and use glasses when inflating them by mouth. I usually take the glasses off if I'm certain I won't be inflating any more though, but the earplugs stay in at all times. I also usually have headphones on as I either watch videos or listen to music while I'm looning.